Residential · sliding patio doors
Patio Door Repair
A sliding patio door that drags, jumps its track, will not lock or has fogged between the panes. Almost all of that is the parts that wear — rollers, track, lock, handle, weatherstrip and the sealed glass unit — and all of them can be replaced on the door you already have. We repair sliding patio doors in aluminum and vinyl across Toronto and the GTA, whoever installed them.
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Aluminum and vinyl sliders, whoever installed them · 24/7 board-up after a break-in · door contractors since 1979
If your sliding patio door drags, jumps the track, will not lock or has fogged between the panes, call 800-522-6825. Almost everything that goes wrong with a patio door is one of a small number of parts, and each of them can be replaced separately on the door you already have. The call we get most is broken glass. After that, very often it is the rollers, which carry the whole weight of a glass panel on two small wheels. We work on the door itself; we do not repair screen doors.
Canuck Door Systems has been a door contractor since 1979. Most of our work is commercial: glass and aluminum entrances, sliding doors and storefronts on buildings across the GTA. The same technicians repair sliding doors in houses, and they understand how a glass panel is carried, sealed and locked on large commercial doors.
Call and tell us what the door is doing
Four answers let us send the right technician with the right parts:
- Whether the house can be locked. That decides how urgent the visit is. After a break-in we come out overnight to board up the opening.
- The frame. Tell us if it is aluminum or vinyl (or wood-clad), how many panels the door has, and roughly how old it is.
- What the door is doing. For example, it is hard to push, it grinds, it has come off the track, it will not latch, there is a draft, or there is fog between the panes.
- The make, if you can find it. It is often printed on a label on the frame or stamped on the glass. A photo of the bottom corner of the sliding panel is just as useful.
Broken glass: the repair we do most
More patio door calls are about glass than about anything else: a pane cracked by a ball or a slammed panel, one smashed in a break-in, or a unit that has fogged between the panes. In almost every case the door itself is sound. The glass is replaced on its own, and the frame, rollers and lock stay where they are.
The opening is secured
If the glass was broken in a break-in, we come out overnight, take out what is left of the pane and board up the opening so the house can be locked. A cracked pane that is still in one piece can wait for a daytime visit.
A new unit is made to size
Sliding door glass is tempered, and on most doors it is a double-glazed sealed unit. We measure the panel and have a unit made to match, including a Low-E coating and gas fill if the old one had them.
It goes into your existing door
On the second visit the new unit is fitted into the panel you already have. With the panel out of its track, it is also the right time to look at the rollers and the weatherstrip.
A cracked tempered pane can break into small pieces all at once. Do not keep sliding the panel. Leave it closed and call us.
What we repair, and what it usually turns out to be
| What you're seeing | Usual cause | What the repair involves |
|---|---|---|
| Door is hard to push, or grinds as it moves | Worn or broken rollers, or grit in the track | Clean the track first. If it still drags, lift the panel out and fit new rollers |
| Door has come off the track, or one corner has dropped | A broken roller, or a dented section of track | New rollers, plus a new track cap or a repair to the track where it is damaged |
| Door runs on the frame, or scrapes along the bottom | Rollers adjusted too low, or worn flat | Adjust the rollers, or replace them if they are worn |
| Latch will not catch, or the door will not lock | Keeper out of line, a panel that has dropped, or a worn lock | Realign the keeper, adjust the rollers, or replace the lock |
| Handle is loose or broken | Worn handle set or mounting screws | A new handle set matched to the door |
| Draft, whistling or water at the sill | Worn weatherstrip, or a panel that no longer sits square | New weatherstrip, and re-square the panel |
| Fog or condensation between the panes | Failed seal on the glass unit | A new sealed unit made to size and fitted into the existing panel |
| Cracked or broken glass | Impact, a break-in, or stress in the glass | Board up the opening first — overnight after a break-in — then fit a new glass unit made to size |
If a panel has come off its track, stop using the door. A sliding glass panel weighs a lot, and one that is off its rail can fall out of the opening. Leave it closed and call us.
The parts that wear
Rollers
Two or more wheels in the bottom of the sliding panel carry the whole weight of the glass. Worn rollers are the main reason a door drags or grinds, and they are the most common repair to the moving parts.
The track
The rail the rollers run on. It wears flat, it gets dented, and it collects grit. On many doors there is a cap on the rail that can be replaced without taking out the frame.
Lock and keeper
The latch in the sliding panel catches a keeper on the frame. Most "won't lock" calls turn out to be those two parts no longer lining up, not a broken lock.
Handle
The handle is used every day and is held on by a few screws. Handle sets are specific to each make of door, so it helps to know which door you have.
Weatherstrip
The pile and fin strips along the edges of the panels. They are inexpensive to replace, and they are what keeps out drafts and the sound of the wind.
Sealed glass unit
Two panes with a sealed gap between them. When the seal fails, fog appears between the panes. The unit is made to size and fitted into your existing panel.
What you can check yourself first
Two checks cost nothing. Between them, they solve a good share of the "hard to open" calls we get:
- Clean the track. Vacuum it and then wipe it. Grit on the rail makes the rollers climb over it with every push, and it wears them out quickly. Do not use oil or grease, because they hold on to grit.
- Check the keeper. If the door closes but will not latch, look at the metal keeper on the frame where the latch catches. If the screws are loose, or the keeper has been knocked out of line, tighten it or move it back into place.
If the door still drags on a clean track, the rollers are the cause. Replacing them means lifting a heavy glass panel out of the frame, and that is a job for two people with the right tools.
How long each repair takes
- Adjustments, track cleaning, weatherstrip: one visit, and usually under an hour or two.
- Rollers, locks and handles: one visit when the part can be identified before we come. When it has to be ordered for your make of door, the first visit is to identify it and the second is to fit it.
- Sealed glass unit: two visits, because the unit is made to the size of your glass. The first is to measure it and the second is to fit it.
- A new patio door: made to your opening. Allow 4–6 weeks for it to be made once the opening is measured, then 1–2 weeks to schedule the installation.
When a repair is no longer worth it
A sliding door is worth repairing as long as the frame is sound. Everything that moves or seals on it can be replaced. A replacement door becomes the better value when:
- the sill or the subfloor under it has rotted, which happens when water has been getting in for years;
- a vinyl frame has cracked or warped, so that no adjustment will bring the panel back to square;
- the door is an old single-glazed or non-thermally-broken aluminum unit, and it is cold and runs with condensation all winter;
- the parts are no longer made and no compatible part fits;
- you are paying for a second or third repair in a short time, and each one has been for a different part.
If one of those applies to your door, we will say so and quote a replacement door alongside the repair.
The same crews maintain doors for names Ontario knows — Canada’s Wonderland, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, the LCBO, Metrolinx, Marriott & Hilton hotels, the University of Toronto — plus offices, stores, schools and houses across the GTA. Dependable people, quality products, since 1979.
Patio door repair across Toronto & the GTA
Technicians come from our shop at 1645 Bonhill Road in Mississauga, which is central to the region, and the phone line is answered 24 hours a day.
Core GTA
- Toronto
- Mississauga
- Brampton
- Vaughan
- Markham
- Scarborough
- North York
- Etobicoke
- Richmond Hill
- Oakville
- Burlington
- Milton
Southern Ontario belt
Routine patio door repairs are booked in daytime hours. After a break-in we come out overnight, board up the opening and make the house secure; the new glass or lock follows in daylight. See all service areas
What a patio door repair costs
A repair is labour plus parts plus the visit itself. What moves the number most is which part has failed, and whether that part can still be matched:
- What failed. Weatherstrip and a lock adjustment are the least expensive visit. A pair of rollers costs more, and a sealed glass unit costs the most.
- Whether the part can be matched. Rollers and locks are specific to the make of the door, and a discontinued series may need a substitute part to be fitted.
- Whether the track is only dirty or is damaged, and whether a damaged track has a replaceable cap
- The size of the panel. Rollers are rated for the weight they carry, and a tall or wide panel needs a heavier roller.
- A sealed unit is made to the size of your glass. It needs one visit to measure and another to fit.
- Aluminum or vinyl frame. The parts differ, and so does what can be adjusted.
- Whether the frame itself has moved. A door that has settled out of square will keep wearing out new parts.
We quote the cost of the visit over the phone, and the repair cost once the technician has seen the door. If the door is worn out or the frame is failing, we will tell you so and quote a replacement door alongside the repair.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fix a patio door?
It depends on which part has failed. Weatherstrip, a lock adjustment and a track cleaning are at the inexpensive end. New rollers cost more, because the panel has to be lifted out to fit them. A replacement sealed glass unit costs the most, because it is made to the size of your glass. We quote the cost of the visit on the phone and the repair once the door has been seen. If the repair would cost a large part of the price of a new door, we tell you that as well.
Can a sliding patio door be repaired, or does it need replacing?
Most sliding doors can be repaired. The rollers, track cap, lock, keeper, handle, weatherstrip and glass unit can all be replaced separately, and a door with new parts works like a new door. A replacement makes more sense when the frame itself has failed. That means a rotted wood sill or subfloor under it, a vinyl frame that has cracked or warped, or an old aluminum door that is simply too cold to live with.
Why is my sliding patio door so hard to open?
There are usually three causes, and you can check the first one yourself. Grit and debris in the track make the rollers climb over it, so vacuum the track and wipe it before anything else. If the door still drags, the rollers are worn or have been adjusted too low, and the panel is resting on the frame. If it only drags at one end, the frame or the house has settled and the panel is no longer square in the opening. Adjusting the rollers can deal with a small amount of that.
My patio door keeps coming off the track. What is wrong?
Usually one of the rollers has broken or dropped, so that corner of the panel no longer sits on the rail. Less often, the rail itself is dented or worn flat, and the roller can ride over the damaged spot. Stop using the door until it has been looked at. A heavy glass panel that is off its track can fall out of the opening.
Can you replace the rollers on a patio door?
Yes, and it is one of the most common patio door repairs we do. The sliding panel is lifted out of the frame, the old rollers are taken out of the bottom rail, and rollers of the right size and weight rating are fitted. The panel then goes back in and is adjusted until it runs level. Rollers are not universal, because each make of door uses its own housing. The make or series of your door, or a photo of the old roller, helps us bring the right part.
My patio door will not lock. Is that urgent?
If the house cannot be secured, yes. Call us, because a door that will not lock is an open door, and after a break-in we come out overnight to board it up. Often the cause is a keeper on the frame that has moved out of line, and a technician can adjust it in minutes. Sometimes it is a panel that has dropped, so the latch no longer reaches the keeper. Otherwise the lock mechanism itself has worn out and is replaced. In the meantime, a bar or a length of dowel laid in the track stops the panel from sliding.
There is fog between the glass panes. Can that be fixed?
The seal around the glass unit has failed, and moist air is getting into the space between the panes. That cannot be cleaned out. The cure is a new sealed glass unit made to the same size and fitted into your existing panel. The frame, rollers and lock stay where they are. It takes two visits, one to measure and one to fit.
Can you replace just the glass in my patio door?
Yes. A cracked or shattered pane does not mean a new door. The glass in a sliding patio door is a tempered sealed unit, and a new one is made to the size of your panel and fitted into the frame you already have. The first visit is to measure it and the second is to fit it. After a break-in we come out overnight to board up the opening until then.
How long does a patio door repair take?
Weatherstrip, a lock adjustment, a track clean and a roller adjustment usually take one visit of under an hour or two. Rollers, locks and handles also take one visit when we can identify the part in advance. When the part has to be ordered for your make of door, the first visit is to identify it and the second is to fit it. A sealed glass unit always takes two visits, because it is made to your size. A complete new patio door is made to your opening. It takes 4–6 weeks to produce and then 1–2 weeks to schedule the installation.
Do you repair patio doors you did not install?
Yes. Most of the patio doors we repair were fitted by a builder or by another company. What decides whether we can repair a door is whether its parts can still be matched, not who installed it. If a series has been discontinued, a compatible roller or lock usually exists. When one does not, we will tell you before any work starts.
Can you come out overnight after a break-in?
Yes. The line is answered 24 hours a day, and after a break-in we send a technician overnight to board up the opening and make the house secure. The permanent repair, whether that is new glass, a new lock or a new panel, is measured at the same visit and fitted in daylight.
Do you repair patio screen doors?
No. We work on the patio door itself: its rollers, track, lock, handle, weatherstrip and glass. Re-screening and screen-door repairs are a separate trade, and a screen specialist will serve you better for those.
Should I lubricate the track on my patio door?
Clean the track, but do not grease it. Oil and grease hold on to grit, and grit is what wears out rollers. Vacuum the track, wipe it with a damp cloth, and if you want to use anything, use a dry silicone spray on the rail. If the door still drags on a clean track, the rollers are the problem, and no spray will fix them.
Door dragging, stuck or not locking?
Call the line and tell us what the door is doing. Say whether it is aluminum or vinyl, and whether you can still lock it. We will tell you what the visit involves and what it costs to come out.